Release-rigging for railway-cars



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shee E, C; www@ l RELESE RIGGING FOR RALWAY ARS. '-No. 604,718. y Patented Mmm, ma,

Amill (No Model.) W 2 Sheets-Shet 2,. H. BHUP. RELEASE RIGGING FOR R LWN GABS- jateuted May 31,'1898.,

No. www

@l @MJ/7% Nrrnn TES arr-infr @criceti HARRY C. BUI'IOUP, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,'ASSIGNCR TO THE MCCONWAY it' TORLEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

RELEASE-RlGGING FOR RAILWAY-HCARS.

sPEciFIOATIoN forming part of Letters Patentino. 604,718, dated May 31, 1898.

Application ne@ December 29,1897. sean No. 664,321. (No man.)

To a/Z whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY C. BUHOUP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Release-Rigging for Railway- Cars; and I hereby declare the following to be 4a full, clear, and exact description ofv the saine, reference being had to the accompany- 1o ing drawings, in which- Figure lv is a perspective end view of the end sill of a car and a vertical or Janney type of coupler with adjustable releaserigging embodying my invention applied thereto for operating the lock of the coupler, the parts being in the position they occupy when the lecking-pin is down. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detached-view of my releaserigging in side clevation, parts broken away. Fig. 3 is an end zo view of the devices, looking in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2. Fig. Liis a detached view of the uncoupling lever or shaft. Fig. 5 is a detached view of the drop-handle of the uncoupling-lever. Fig. 6 is a detached side z 5 elevation of the ratchet-wheel and its hub.

Fig. 7 is a view of a modified form of drophandle for kthe uncoupling-lever.

Like symbols refer to like parts Wherever they occur.

3o My invention relates to that class of rail- Waycar-equipment safety devices known as uncoupling-levers7 or release-rigging, having for its object the manipulation of the locking device of the coupler Afrom a point oi' safety outside of the car.

As commonly constructed and applied this class of devices has exhibited several objectionable features, viz: the horizontal position of the uncoupling-lever handle at the time of 4o uncoupling or coupling up, whereby danger arises to the operator should he for any pur- 'pose enter between the cars, and also the circumscribed movement c'thelever, whereby in case of either excessive slack in the connection between thel coupler-lock and the unlocking-lever or the lackjor" a proper length and adjustment of the connections the devices wereV rendered either Wholly inoperative or else required theconstant attention of the operator at the time of conplingfand uncou-pling. Y

To provide a simple and effective means 0f overcoming the above-noted objections is the object of the present invention; and to this end I combine with the coupling-lever a drophandle loosely'mounted therepn and provided with an automatically retracted ratchet mechanism for engaging and rotating the shaft in one direction and means for locking the shaft in the position Ato-ivhich it isv thus 6o moved, whereby after the operation of the shaft or uncoupling-lever and upon the release of the lever-handle the same will drop or automatically assume a vertical position out of the way of a person entering between the cars, and such construction or its equivalent einbodies one feature of my invention.

In carrying out said feature of my invention I prefer, for salte of simplicity and effectiveness, to combine with an uncoupling-lever 7o which is provided with a ratchetcvheel or segment-rack a drophandle having a dog for engaging' the ratchettvheel or segment-rack of the uncoupling-lever and provided with an elongated slot, whereby the said drop-han- 7 5 die is loosely journaled on Athe uncouplingshaft and may be raised for causing'the dog thereon to engage the ratchet-Wheel or segment-rack on the uncoupling-lever, and ksuch a construction or iis equivalent embodies a 8o second feature of my invention. There are other minor features of invention residing-` in particular combinations and in special features of elemental construction, all as will hereinafter more fully appear. 35

I will now proceed to describe my invention more fully, so that others skilled in. the art to which it appertains may apply the same.

In the drawings, A indicates the end sill or body of aI car, upon which are supported the -9o devices embodying my invention, and B indicates a vertical or Janney type of coupling whose locking-pin or locking device is'connected with and operated from thereleaserigging.

a a. indicate brackets secured to ther carbody A and affording suitable bear-ings for a rock-shaft or uneoupling-lever .1, provided with a lifting-finger 2 and lever or`drophandie 3. s The shaft 1 is preferably square orpolygof nal except at the pointslwh'er'eitisjournaled the uncoupling-lever. u2 indicates a lifting-finger adjustable longitudinally of the shaft 1 and providedwith a in its bearings and where it receives-.the drophandle 3 in order to causethe ratchet-wheel v'4 and liftingiinger 2 to rota-te with the shaft 1 and permit of the adjustment of the liftingngerlongitndinally of shaft l but,if desired,

the shaft er uncoupling-lever 1 maybe cylinset-screw 2a or equivalent' meansA of securing i it in position .on the shaft after adjustment.

mentrack may be used,

. length as will provide coupler-in pulling and With said lifting-finger 2 the locking-pin or lock of the coupler is connected by a chain b or other suitable iiexibleconnection of such for the travel of the' buffingl.`

Secured on'the uncoupling lever or shaft l, near its outer end'is a ratchet-wheel 4 (a segvif preferred) and with said ratchet-wheel ldcking-dog 5, preferably pivoted on a stud 5a upon the outer bearing or bracket a. This* dog 5 is counterweighted,so that it is normally held out of engagement with the ratchetwheel and must be manually applied to lock the uncoupling lever or shaft 1 in anygiven position, and beingthus counterweighted itIv will automatically release itself or drop away from the ratchet-Wheel 4 upon a slight movement of the shaft from right to left or in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3.

lLoosely journaled upon the outer end of'un'- coupling or drop-handle 3,A provided with a dog 3 or lever or shaftvl is the. lever-handle equivalent means for engaging the ratchet- `wheel 4, and said lever-handle 3 is preferably journaled on said shaftbymeans of an clonv gated slot 3b, which permits thedog 3a to drop o utof engagement with the ratchet whenever the lever-handle 3 is released, and, furthermore, said lever-.handle 4is by preference formed forked or with two jaws, so as to straddie and confine the ratchet-wheel 4, and,if desired, one of said jaws may be separable'fromthe lever-handle 3 and connected thereto by; bolts or rivets 3C. v

If desired, in lieu of a' fixed dog 3a on the lever-handle 3 and an elongated slot 3b, which i combination with an uncoupling-lever having permits the automatic disengagement of the dog, a spring-retractedl and leverprojected the ratchet-wheel 4 and the lever-handle alf- ;,combination with .f videdwith a ratchet device, of a provided with a' dog to engage the vratchet i device f the uncOUplDg-leVer, and apaw'l or f .lowed to drop when released by the operator.

The construction and arrangement of the devices b eing substantially such as hereinbefore pointed out and saiddevices being in the posi-tion shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings-ethat is to say, the locking-pin or 'locking-block of the couplerin-the lowered or locked position,

engages a pawl or!" is released. lAs soon as elongated slot whereby it is.

the lifting-finger 2 ina horizontal position, the levers-handle or-drop-handle in a vertical position, and the locking-dog 5 out'of engagement with the ratchet-wheel 4-if it is desired 7o to raise thelocking-pin of the coupler for the purposes of uncoupling the cars or to release the knuckle .of 4the coupler B the dog 3 is broughtinto engagement with the ratchetwheel4-by'lifting-.the lever-handle 3l longitu- 75 ldinally and vertically, (or by compressing the v projecting lever le, as the case may be,) after which thelever-handle is turned to rotate the 4u nco'up'l-ing lever orV shaft' 1 and carry the -flifting-nger 2 from the horizontal toward 8o l the'- vertical-position, and thus withdraw'the locking-pin or latch of the coupler. lIf the movement of the uncoupling lever or shaft 1 and lifting-finger 2 has not been sufticient to ftake up all the slack inthe connection b and 85 fully withdraw the locking-pin, the lockingdog is made to engage the ratchet-wheel 4 and lock .the shaft 1 until the lever-handle 3 'can be .lowered and the dog 3 again caused to engage the ratchet-wheel't, when the shaft 9 9 1 is further rotated, the locking-dog 5 automatically disengaging or dropping away from the ratchet-wheel. When the locking-pin of the coupler has been fully withdrawn, the locking-dog .5 is again manipulated to cause 95 it to engage the ratchet-wheel 4 and the shaftl or uncoupling-leverI l, and'elevated lifting-finger 2 will thereafter hold the locking-pin of the coupler withdrawn untilthe uncoupling-lever been made to engageA the ratchet-wheel 4 the 'lever-handle 3 may be released and will automatically dropand hang vertically, where it ceases to be anelem'en-t of danger to aperson lentering between the cars. Havingv thus described my I claim, and desire to secure ent, isy 1. In a release-rigging for car-couplers, the" combination with an uncoupling lever or shaft 1 1o provided with a ratchet device, of a lever-- handle, an automatically-retracted dog for releasing the-lever-handle from the uncoupling-lever, and means for locking the ratchet fos invention, what by Letters Patdevice of the uncouplin'g-lever,substantially 115 as and for the purposes specified.

2. Ina release-rigging for car-couplers, the

a ratchet device, of 'a lever-handle having an liournaledon the 12o -uncupling-lever, and `provided with ardog which is adapted to engage the ratchet device of the uncoupIing-lever, substantially as and f for the vpurposes specied.

3; In a' release-rigging for car-couplers, the' rz5 an uncoupline-lever'pro- I f damp-handle,

locking-'dogadapted to engage the ratchet de- 13o vice of the 'uncoupling-lever, said dogfb'eing., ceanterweighted. te he heldv normally @et et the locking-dog 5 hasv roo engagement with the ratchet device of the un- When the droplhandle is raised, substantially couplngdever, substantially as and for the as and-for the purposes specified. purposes specified. In testimony whereof I ax my signature, 4. In a release-rigging for car-couplers, the in presence of two witnesses, this 27 th day of 5 combination With an uneouplinglever orshaft r December, 1897.

providedwth :t ratchet device, of a. forkedl jaw drop-handle loosely journaled on the un-A M coupling-lever bymczms of an e1on.,ratt'ed slot Witnesses: and provided with a dog adaptedto engage A. J. SCHEVER, 1o the ratchet device of the uncoupling-lever D. B. MASON.

HARRY C. BUHOUP. 

